Security Experts to Disclose Major Flaws Affecting over 95%
of all Locks

Posted 2 Jun 2008 05:45:13 UTC

This summer, hackers from around the world will be teaming up with
lock picking and security experts to show the public exactly how
insecure their locks are. Recent studies have proven that locks of all
varieties (including so-called "high security" locks) can be
compromised, some by persons with a minimal skill.

Attendees at The Last HOPE
conference in July will learn firsthand about security vulnerabilities
inherent in standard lock designs, from the most common ones used on our
front doors to the high security models used by industry and in
government. Attempts to alert the security industry to these dangers
have not met with much success, which is why we believe it is in the
public interest to demonstration certain methods of bypass.

"Manufacturers can't produce bug-free products, and that's a big
problem," says Marc Weber Tobias, a lawyer and leading security expert.
According to Tobias, "since the industry is not taking the lead, it is
ironic that it has fallen upon the hackers to make these security risks
public." In a recent interview (May 21, 2008
edition of Off The Hook) and a soon to be released book, he
highlights specific problems with the locks sold by many of the major
manufacturers, including everything from the common household products
of Kwikset and other consumer lock manufacturers, to the supposed high
security locks produced by such companies as Mul-T-Lock, Assa, and
Medeco. The vulnerable high security locks are currently in wide use by
branches of the U.S. military, federal agencies, and at many private
facilities to protect critical infrastructure.

Many specialists in the field will be leading demonstrations,
classes, and lectures at the conference.